'Falling Skies' season 3: Sci-fi fave Doug Jones of 'Hellboy' cast

Production on season 3 of TNT’s Falling Skies started in Vancouver, B.C. this week, and that means new characters are joining the 2nd Mass in their fight against the aliens that have turned Earth into a post- apocalyptic wasteland/war zone.

EW has confirmed that sci-fi fave Doug Jones has joined the show’s cast, as Jones and showrunner Remi Aubuchon tweeted on Sunday. Jones is known for such roles as Abe Sapien and the Angel of Death in the Hellboy movies and the Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. A TNT rep tells EW that Jones will portray the new alien introduced at the end of last weekend’s season 2 finale.

No word yet on whether Jones, known for his performances in prosthetics and rubber suits, will don makeup for the bat-like — but humanoid — new species, or whether he’ll portray the character through performance capture, as done with Falling Skies‘ overlord aliens.

Season 3 will also feature some new human characters. EW has confirmed that Gloria Reuben, who played Jeanie Boulet on ER, will be reuniting with fellow ER alum Noah Wyle for a five-episide arc. Robert Sean Leonard will also be joining the cast for five episodes. Deadline first reported the news.

Reuben will be featured in scenes opposite Wyle’s Tom Mason, as an intelligent woman with “political knowledge and experience [that] could prove extremely helpful to Tom,” reports Deadline.

Leonard’s stint on Falling Skies marks his first project since House ended earlier this year. It sounds like the 2nd Mass’ business in Charleston isn’t complete quite yet with new characters from the supposed safe haven joining the show. Leonard’s character, Roger Kadar, PhD, is described as “an obsessive but gifted scientist who runs Charleston’s power grid and lives underground with his pet rats.” The children of the underground community dub him “The Rat King.”

Curious to know what’s happening in the next season of Falling Skies? If you missed it, check out EW’s interview with Aubuchon for answers to your burning questions about Sunday’s finale.